Albuquerque

Few areas of the country have been spared from the housing market meltdown, but some cities have managed to avoid the worst of the surge in home foreclosures. Consider Albuquerque.

Though home sales are down sharply, foreclosures have been fairly few. This month, Albuquerque was named the sixth-best city in the country in which to buy foreclosed homes, according to Forbes.com. "Its trivial foreclosure rate is enough to offer deals without presenting too many risks," it says.

The area's outlook remains bright. It continues to generate jobs and attract retirees. The city offers "resort-town ambience, a boomtown economy and cow-town prices," says Kiplinger.com, which named Albuquerque one of the top 10 smart places to live in 2006. Area employers range from film studios to Kirtland Air Force Base. There are also a number of high-tech employers, including Intel, Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory. ...